Chapter Seventy-Three: The Dagger Revealed at the End of the Picture

Five days passed swiftly. The landscape surrounding him had transformed from grasslands to dense forests, and the magical beasts encountered grew ever more formidable. Luo Tian pursued his cultivation tirelessly; whether it was his mastery of primordial energy or his secret body-forging techniques, he felt his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

A black aura of energy enveloped Luo Tian, lending him an air of authority. At this moment, he darted and weaved, throwing punches and kicks, twisting and leaping, his movements flowing seamlessly from one to another. At times, he moved with the ferocity of a tiger; at others, the brute force of an ox; and sometimes, the sinuous grace of a serpent.

He had nearly mastered the nine magical beasts from the Nine Forms Beast Fist. After a round of practice, he could sense his physical attributes had strengthened even further. Moreover, the primordial energy within him had transformed into fire energy, making his body-forging techniques even more effective.

Yet Luo Tian found the speed of his cultivation most peculiar. The deeper he ventured into the secret realm, the denser the energy became—far surpassing even the core node of the Gathering Array at the Shenyang Sect. Surely there must be a cause for such abundance; energy cannot simply arise without reason.

Along his journey, he discovered herbs and treasures whose actual energy content exceeded their apparent age, and even the magical beasts he encountered could not be easily subdued. These mysteries only deepened Luo Tian’s confusion.

Enough—no need to dwell on it! Luo Tian shook his head, suppressing his myriad questions. Though he hadn’t undergone any real battle testing, he could roughly estimate his strength. Without considering the power of true intent, merely the enhancements from primordial energy cultivation and body-forging techniques gave him the confidence to defeat the ninth-layer disciples of the Four Great Families.

In making this comparison, Luo Tian accounted for each side’s recovery abilities. While the Four Great Families valued body-forging techniques, they treated them as secondary, using them merely to allow their bodies to withstand elemental energy. Sincere dedication to these arts was rare.

It was understandable: primordial energy cultivation was the true mainstream. If one didn’t seize their youth to tap into their potential, advancing further in old age would be nigh impossible.

Luo Tian still yearned for the rewards at the Ziyang Mountain Tournament, but no longer obsessed over them as he once did. The Condensation Pill was no longer his focus; twenty days in the secret realm would be enough to push his strength to the peak of the Condensation Realm, or at the very least, firmly stabilize his ninth transformation.

As for the issue of treasure artifacts, once his strength grew, sect contributions would flow in like a river. Thinking it over, Luo Tian realized he no longer craved the rewards so intensely. Naturally, if he could obtain them, it would be ideal.

At that moment, faint footsteps sounded nearby.

Luo Tian stopped and looked around. Though he preferred to act alone, it did not mean he wished to avoid all company. After all, he would be staying in this secret realm for quite some time; unfamiliar surroundings and solitude could easily bring about feelings of oppression and unease.

Could it be fellow disciples? Luo Tian’s heart stirred. While he could maintain the fastest pace of cultivation in this environment, others might not be so fortunate. Breaking through bottlenecks could leave them stuck for ages, unable to proceed.

As senior disciple, he ought to guide his juniors in their cultivation, earning a share of contributions and Divine Sight experience. When they returned to the sect, these disciples would surely spread word, and soon disciples from the southwest and north would seek him out.

After months of effort, his Divine Sight experience had barely increased. At level one, Divine Sight could see traces of primordial energy in Body Tempering cultivators; at level two, it could track energy flow in Condensation Realm cultivators and assess the ambient energy. But what vistas would open at level three?

Luo Tian surmised he would be able to observe the energy circulation of Pulse Flow cultivators, but beyond that, he had no clue. He barely understood the basics of Divine Sight, let alone its depths, and could only use its simplest functions passively.

“Senior Brother Wei, isn’t it my turn next?”

“Let’s not rush. We’ll tally things up once we’re done.”

“That’s right, Junior Brother Zheng, don’t be impatient. Lately, we’ve mostly run into powerful magical beasts. There aren’t many Shenyang Sect disciples in the realm, and if we do cross paths, who knows how many of them there will be? Who should we target first?”

Seeing a Shenyang Sect disciple appear before them, Lü Wenhua immediately halted, clamping his mouth shut, daring not to utter another word.

“Shenyang Sect, Luo Tian!”

With a calm voice, Luo Tian announced his name, then gazed with interest at the five disciples from the Great Yuan Sect ahead. Though he knew these people looked down on Shenyang Sect disciples, and the Shenyang Sect reciprocated their disdain, Luo Tian felt little attachment to sect prejudices. After all, they were all human cultivators, far preferable to magical beasts who would attack him on sight with murderous intent.

“You—”

“Brother Luo, may I ask what brings you here?” Wei Zhongyuan interrupted Lü Wenhua, taking the lead in questioning.

“It’s only natural to explore the secret realm gradually. Staying on the grasslands would yield little,” Luo Tian replied in a relaxed and casual tone.

“Brother Luo, that’s not what I meant!” Wei Zhongyuan waved his hand and asked with concern, “This realm is full of danger. Have you been separated from your companions? If so, why not join our team for the time being? Once we meet your teammates, you can leave then.”

He continued walking, his expression earnest. “I am Wei Zhongyuan. Though our Great Yuan Sect and Shenyang Sect compete, we should support each other in this secret realm. If we meet only to fight and kill, how are we any different from magical beasts?”

Why is this guy getting so close? Luo Tian recalled meeting Chen Jiayang during the Eastern District competition and grew wary. One should never hesitate to suspect others of the worst in the secret realm.

No amount of caution was too much.

“Brother Wei, that won’t be necessary! I’ve always acted alone, and haven’t formed a team with fellow disciples.”

Luo Tian’s use of “junior brother” for others rolled easily off his tongue, but it did not diminish his resolve to refuse their offer.

“You’re alone?” Wei Zhongyuan’s face showed just the right touch of surprise. He subtly signaled his four teammates behind his back. Now, only a dozen paces separated him from Luo Tian—a very close distance.

Thinking how Luo Tian had barely spoken before brazenly calling him “junior brother,” Wei Zhongyuan was furious. In the Great Yuan Sect, Wei Zhongyuan was a well-known and outstanding disciple, proud of his strength if not arrogant. To be called “junior brother” by a random Shenyang Sect nobody—how dare he?

Eighth transformation of the Condensation Realm, what a reckless fool. He must be tired of living.

“Then, Brother Luo, you can die now!”

Wei Zhongyuan’s concerned expression instantly twisted into a savage and excited grin. He punched straight at Luo Tian’s face with ruthless force—clearly intent on smashing Luo Tian’s head like a watermelon.